PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES
FOR RESOURCE CONSERVATION
Holidaymakers use resources in various areas: the consumption of water, electricity and food must be minimised, as well as the generation of large amounts of waste. DERTOUR Group’s commitment is based on several levers.Â
Against Food Waste
Savour with a Clear Conscience
Travelling and dining are closely linked to one another. People on holiday want to taste typical food and drinks from the region. Hoteliers and restaurants offer a wide range of culinary delights to indulge their guests. A different perspective provides food for thought: whatever is not consumed, lands on the rubbish heap.
In German hotels alone, 200,00 tonnes of food waste are disposed of each year. In other countries, the numbers are similar or even higher. What we do know: most of this could be avoided.
In order to improve this situation, DERTOUR Group participated in the project “Avoiding food waste in hotels” run by the association Futouris e.V. To do this, experience was gathered in several project hotels in Greece, Italy and Turkey on the topic of food waste. In cooperation with the association United Against Waste e.V., an analysis tool was used to determine how much food waste is generated in the areas of storage, production, buffets and leftovers. Based on this data, check-lists and recommendations were given to the hotels. The next step was to train hotel employees on the topic and increase their awareness so as to drive forward the implementation of the measures. For evaluation purposes, further waste measurements will be conducted in the course of the study. It showed that appropriate measures can save around 400 kilogrammes of food waste per hotel each week, which is over 20,000 kilos per year.
DERTOUR Hotels & Resorts as Pioneers
DERTOUR Hotels & Resorts were also involved in this Futouris project. The Sentido Asterias Beach Resort in Rhodes illustrates how food waste can be avoided. Since 2018, DERTOUR Group has been extending the successful concept developed there, including the corresponding staff training, to other hotels. The target of the DTHR is ambitious: in the future, European hotels are to save 15 per cent of annual food waste. In addition to avoiding food waste, the proportion of regional food is to be increased to 70 per cent. In future, holiday guests will be able to enjoy a sustainable range of culinary products with a clean conscience.
Holidays without Plastic on the Balearic Islands
Plastic waste pollutes the environment. It pollutes landscapes, beaches and oceans – not a good advertisement for a region. Since the tourism industry is directly affected, it is high time that we combat it and limit the amount of plastic in holiday regions!
With a new waste law, the government of the Balearic Islands created the basis for reducing the amount of plastic waste by 20 per cent by 2030. The sustainability initiative Futouris e.V. exceeds these legal requirements and cooperates with the government and local organisations on waste prevention as well as a higher recycling rate on the Balearic Islands.
Holidays without Plastic on the Balearic Islands
Plastic waste pollutes the environment. It pollutes landscapes, beaches and oceans – not a good advertisement for a region. Since the tourism industry is directly affected, it is high time that we combat it and limit the amount of plastic in holiday regions!
With a new waste law, the government of the Balearic Islands created the basis for reducing the amount of plastic waste by 20 per cent by 2030. The sustainability initiative Futouris e.V. exceeds these legal requirements and cooperates with the government and local organisations on waste prevention as well as a higher recycling rate on the Balearic Islands.
In the current Futouris project “Plastic-free holidays on the Balearic Islands”, member companies, including DERTOUR Group, have been working together since 2019 to decrease the amount of tourism-induced plastic waste in the region. A network of hotels, tourism associations and local partners is elaborating joint solutions with the municipalities and waste management industry. This gave rise to a guide that supports tourism businesses with switching from plastic disposable products to sustainable alternatives.
Positive Plastic Policy at PrimaSol Cala D’Or Gardens
Several DERTOUR Hotels & Resorts demonstrate how plastic reduction can look in practice. A good example is the PrimaSol Cala D’Or Gardens in Mallorca, which also participates in the Futouris project “Plastic-free holidays on the Balearic Islands”. A number of measures ensured a considerable reduction in plastic waste:
In gastronomy
Elimination of plastic straws (350,000 were still used in the hotel in 2018)
Dispensing with disposable toothbrush cups and plastic toilet bands
Disposable plastic cutlery, crockery and lunch boxes banned
In the rooms
Refillable dispensers for soap, shampoo and shower gel
Dispensing with disposable toothbrush cups and plastic toilet bands
Waste bags only in toilet waste bins
In the hotel
Significant reduction in plastic packaging of delivered goods, which accounts for a large proportion of plastic waste in hotels.